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Sensitive and accurate detection of bacterial contamination in food products and liquids is important for ensuring the protection of human and animal safety. Presently, many methods of detecting bacterial contamination in food and liquid utilize monoclonal antibody binding to detect specific bacterial pathogens. However, the sensitivity of assays using antibodies is limited since a typical bacterial cell includes few binding sites for a typical selective antibody. Moreover, existing antibody detection schemes react to their binding target regardless of whether the target is part of a live cell. Thus, these techniques are prone to false positives and increased background from dead cells and/or cell detritus. Consequently, even with sophisticated detectors, live food pathogen detection limits are still typically high, approximately 104 to 105 colony forming units per milliliter.